Mastering the Art of the Direct Mail Teaser

May 09, 2016

You know when you send a direct mail piece that the recipient will at least see your marketing materials, even if just for the time it takes to get from the mailbox to the trash can. If you could grab their attention for just a moment longer, you’d do it, right? That’s where the art of the direct mail teaser comes in.

What Is a Teaser?

Whether you send standard envelopes or oversized mail, you have a lot of additional white space to play with. The teaser for your offer should appear here, on the front or the back of the mail piece. Just give a hint of the reason for your mail, whether it’s a big sale or discount coming up, a chance to see new products before anyone else, or maybe a warning of what might happen if the recipient doesn’t open your mail.

For instance, a new restaurant in town might send out “new to the area” letters with a neighborhood discount printed right on the outside of the envelope. A security company, however, might share statistics on break-ins that happen when an alarm system hasn’t been installed.

The whole idea behind a teaser is to get consumers to stop for a moment, read the offer, and then ultimately open the letter. Now, how can you make sure that happens?

Get Big

Oversized mail already performs better than the standard envelope, but there are other benefits, too. With more white space available, you can make sure your teaser is large and in charge. As long as the return address and recipient address are still visible, the sky is the limit. Well, the edge of the envelope is the limit, but you get the idea.

Rather than trumpeting your offer across the mail piece in one huge font, consider putting emphasis on particular words. For example: “SAVE $100 with the coupons enclosed” or “MAJOR DATA BREACH could cost you THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.”

Use Your Words

What makes a consumer stop and stare? Value? Quality? Service? You should know your buyers inside and out by this point, and that will help you choose the words that will resonate. Still, there are some words that stand out no matter who the buyer is. If you can incorporate some of these, you’ll be golden.

Exclusive

Limited

Guaranteed

Best-selling

Save

Secret

Winner

Just glancing through that list, you can probably guess the psychology behind the choices. Imply exclusivity, scarcity, lack of risk, and then tantalize the buyer. They’ll rip right in.

Personalize the Experience

Everyone will stop when they see their own name on the envelope. Not in the address field, of course—the personalization should happen right there in the teaser. Start with the name of the person you’re trying to reach, and then present the offer.

Consumers crave relevant experiences. They want to receive information about companies that can solve their problems. They want to know that you know what they need, and they want to know how you plan to give it. By starting with their name, you tell them you do know. You know who they are, what their pain points are, and how you plan to soothe them.

With these tips, your teasers can be stellar. Don’t be afraid to test the process and change your approach. You’ll soon notice a big change in the way your buyers react to your direct mail.

If you’re ready to see that change, give us a call. We’d love to help you grow your business with direct mail marketing.